Using this sites database, the number of TCH drivers observing 38-45 is the same as the number observing 28-35 MPG.

I estimate that less than 10% of my daily route to work could take advantage of the EV mode. So, the "traditional gas engine" in a TCH would be running >90% of the time.

 

My wife wanted a Prius. I wanted Buick Lucerne(equivalent) car. Altima and Accord Hybrids werent impressive at test drive. TCH(our compromise) was the ONLY car that made sense(Toyota biased to begin with)

 

I thought about a Prius for a few years. I was excited back when I read the top selling midsized car, the Camry was soon to be fitted with a hybrid engine for 2007. Naturally I bought one and really like it. With these higher gas prices i'm wondering now if the Prius might have give me 10 more miles per gallon.

The prius is a subcompact car. People that own them really say they are impressed. Still I really do like my TCH.
When I went hybrid shopping, I did it on the computer comparing the Honda's and others. The Toyota's seemed to stand out. Like the ability of the electric motor to aid the ice at the higher highway speeds. I don't think the Honda's could do that in 2006/2007.

 

This article got the Altima hybrid wrong as well. First it says that it averages 33 MPG when the EPA says its 34 and we easily get 35-38 without any hypermiling. Second, the Base Altima 2.5 doesn't come with eCVT or stability control which are both standard on the Base Altima Hybrid and improve both the ride and safety of the hybrid.

EV mode helps MPG but it is not the only way the hybrid engine helps. Both the ICE and electric motors often work together, so even acceleration and highway driving benefit in MPG.

I am over 6 feet tall and I found the Altima to be more comfortable then the Prius (no telescopic steering) or the TCH (knee kept banging on the center column). I also liked its performance better. We have had two Honda Civics that were junk. The 2001 Civic we traded in on the Altima never did better then 28 MPG and, in the 5 years we owned it, needed over $6,000 of non-covered repairs.

After 21,000 miles I can easily say the Altima Hybrid is the best car my family has ever owned. My other car is a Nissan Versa that has also been great. I think Nissans are under rated.

 

I had considered the Prius, but when I was looking it seemed very unlikely that I would be able to get a Prius with exactly what I was looking for. By the time I found the dealer I bought from (or rather they found me) I was sold on the TCH.

Is there any plan to take the Altima Hybrid nationwide? My only concern, which is the same with Ford, etc., is in the case of problems, will the dealers have the experience to diagnose and repair. Toyota has been at this awhile and all dealers are selling and servicing the hybrids. So I'm confident that if I did have a problem, it could be solved quickly.

To doasc, my commute to work is 4 miles one way. When I try I probably drive 1 mile of that in ev mode, which isn't great. But, it's still nice to sit in ev mode at lights, etc.

 

I couldn't help but think of the Mastercard commercial

Cost of a new Camry: $2X,000
Cost of the Hybrid option: $3-6,000
"sit[ting] in ev mode at lights": priceless

I think I have come up with the ultimate hybrid marketing tool. A scanguage like device that can model hybrid fuel consumption. The perspective hybrid shopper could attach the device to their current car (ODBII) and select a hybrid to model. Then in trip computer fashion, it could display their current consumption and what the relative hybrid would observe.